American Studies and Latin American Studies
University of Nottingham
UCAS Code: TR7K | Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) - BA (Hons)
Entry requirements
A level
Including B in Spanish if taking. No language qualification required for beginners' pathway.
Access to HE Diploma
Grade B in A Level Spanish for the post A Level Language option.
Cambridge International Pre-U Certificate - Principal
Including M2 in Spanish if taking. No language qualification required for beginners' pathway.
Extended Project
If you have already achieved your EPQ at Grade A you will automatically be offered one grade lower in a non-mandatory A level subject. If you are still studying for your EPQ you will receive the standard course offer, with a condition of one grade lower in a non-mandatory A level subject if you achieve an A grade in your EPQ.
GCSE/National 4/National 5
GCSE English grade 4 (alpha grade C)
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
Including Spanish with 5 points at Higher Level or 6 points at Standard Level (B Programme) if taking. No language qualification required for beginners' pathway.
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
and A Level grade B. Grade B in A Level Spanish for the post A Level Language option.
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Certificate (first teaching from September 2016)
and A Level grades BB. Grade B in A Level Spanish for the post A Level Language option.
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
Grade B in A Level Spanish for the post A Level Language option.
Applications are assessed on an individual basis.
Scottish Advanced Higher
Including grade B in Spanish if taking. No Language required for Beginners' pathway. This qualification is only acceptable when combined with Scottish Higher grades ABBBB.
Scottish Higher
This qualification is only acceptable when combined with Scottish Advanced Highers at grades AB including grade B in Spanish if taking Post A Level Spanish. No language qualification required for beginners' pathway.
Welsh Baccalaureate - Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate (first teaching September 2015)
This qualification is considered alongside other UoN accepted qualifications such as A Levels. Including A Level Spanish (or accepted UoN equivalent) grade B if taking. No language qualification required for beginners' pathway.
UCAS Tariff
We've calculated how many Ucas points you'll need for this course.
About this course
If you are fascinated by the Americas, North and South, and would like to explore the cultures of the United States and Canada alongside those of Spanish America and even Brazil, then this course is for you.
You will study Spanish language and the histories, literatures and cultures of the United States and Canada and many of the nations of Latin America.
By looking at different parts of the Americas – the United States, Canada and Latin America – alongside one another, you will develop a rounded understanding of the relationships between North and South America, in terms of history, culture, literature and politics.
We welcome beginners to Spanish and also students with an A-level in Spanish. For beginners, you could have no Spanish or a GCSE. If you have an A-level in Spanish, you may take beginners' Portuguese in your first year, after which you may continue studying the language into the final year. This gives you the chance to study Brazil in more depth.
Our non-language modules in Hispanic Studies cover the history, politics and cultures of Latin America, including the period of Spanish and Portuguese colonial expansion into the Americas.
In American Studies, you will learn about the history, politics, literature and culture of Anglophone North America.
Modules
Our first-year core modules are designed as an introduction. Even if you haven’t studied American Studies or Latin American Studies before, we’ll build everyone's knowledge to the same level, so you can progress through to year two.
You will take 120 credits of modules split as below:
Compulsory core modules (120 credits) – In Hispanics, you take Spanish language at beginners' ('Spanish 1: Beginners') or post-A level ('Spanish 1'). Post-A level students may also take beginners' Portuguese. Your non-language modules (you choose one or two) introduce you to the cultures, history and societies of the Spanish-speaking and Portuguese-speaking worlds. These modules are taught in English and give you an overview of Hispanic Studies
In American Studies, you will choose between introductory courses on the basic themes and events of American history or the key authors and texts of American literature, from European settlement to the present. You will also take a multidisciplinary module that explores the literature, film and culture of Canada
You must pass year one, but it does not count towards your final degree classification.
In year two your language classes in Spanish (and Portuguese if you continue with it) are dedicated to giving you the fluency and confidence for work or study during the year abroad. Your Hispanics modules expand your knowledge of these cultures and societies. Your American Studies modules help you to develop a multidisciplinary approach and you can choose from two key modules. You will also select from a range of specialised modules to enable you to study certain periods, events, authors or texts in more depth.
Your third academic year is spent in Spain and/or Latin America doing one of the following:
studying at a university
working as a language teaching assistant
doing a work placement.
If you intend to carry on with Portuguese after year two you may also spend the year in Portugal and/or Brazil.
In year four you will build on the language skills acquired on the Year Abroad. Beginners can reach the same degree standard as non-beginners. You can also take specialist modules based on the research we are currently doing in Hispanic Studies.
You must pass year four, which counts 67% towards your final degree classification.
Tuition fees
Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:
The Uni
University Park Campus
Department of American and Canadian Studies
What students say
We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.
How do students rate their degree experience?
The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.
American and australasian studies
Teaching and learning
Assessment and feedback
Resources and organisation
Student voice
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
After graduation
The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.
American and australasian studies
What are graduates doing after six months?
This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.
Top job areas of graduates
Just 615 UK students graduated with American studies degrees in 2015, so it's one of the smaller subjects in terms of student numbers and has lost numbers in recent years. Most graduates stay in the UK once they graduate - quite unusual for graduates in languages and studies of overseas cultures - and about one in six go into further study, mostly to take Masters degrees in subjects like journalism, languages, teaching and law. Graduates tend to go into any general graduate jobs, in industries such as education, advertising, social care and media and publishing. There might not be many jobs that specifically require a degree in American studies, but the skills you learn are useful in many roles.
What about your long term prospects?
Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.
American and australasian studies
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£22k
£29k
£34k
Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.
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You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.
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Post-six month graduation stats:
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It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.
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Graduate field commentary:
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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.
While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?
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